Last Christmas
by alb33
Summary: On Christmas Eve, Hermione finds out that her relationship with Ron can't and won't be what she hopes. A year later, Ron's happily dating another girl, and Hermione is still single. But maybe she can move on and find another guy to give her heart to. Twin Exchange December 2012 Gift Exchange fic.


**A/N: This is my fic for the Twin Exchange's December Gift Exchange. It's written for MiaCara and I decided to use the prompt Last Christmas and the quote "From now on your troubles will be miles away."**

* * *

"So this is what I get?" Hermione huffed, crossing her arms and trying to hold back the tears that had filled her eyes. "I finally pour my heart to you and attempt to figure out where we stand and you tell me—you tell me-." She broke off and tried to take deep calming breaths. She was trying her hardest to not fall apart, but it wasn't going over so well. She stared into the fire as she tried to compose herself.

"What did you want me to tell you, Hermione?" Ron asked from the couch. His tone was slightly annoyed but surprisingly quiet. Hermione was used to lots of shouting occurring between them. "Did you want me to lie and say there's something between us?" Ron continued. "Because I think that would hurt more in the end."

Hermione blinked. He had a point. "Yes, but the fact that there's another girl you're interested in. You never told me that until now!"

Ron shrugged and rubbed the back of his neck as his ears turned pink. "Yeah, maybe that wasn't the best decision, but I was afraid to tell you and I had no idea how."

"Were you planning on telling me at all?"

"Yeah," Ron said.

"When? It's been nearly eight months since the battle. Eight months of us dating on and off and dancing around the subject of whether or not we can truly make a relationship work."

"Well we're currently off," Ron said nervously. "It's not like I cheated on you."

"No, not technically, but couldn't you have waited until we had everything sorted out?"

"I'm not dating Luna yet. I just like her."

"Luna Lovegood," Hermione said, smiling slightly. "I never would have thought she'd be someone you fell for. You always thought she was so odd."

Ron shrugged and looked down at his hands. "Maybe I was wrong."

Hermione stared out the window at the slowly falling snow. "You think the snow will stick?" she asked.

Ron looked slightly surprised at her change of subject. "I don't know. Why?"

"We'll have a white Christmas."

"Er, yeah," Ron said awkwardly.

Hermione sank down onto the other end of the couch as she shook her head and sighed. "I'm so confused."

"Why?"

"I mean, I like you, and I hoped that we could make our relationship work—I really did—but now I know there's no chance. I want you to be with Luna because you like her, but at the same time I don't want you to be with her or like her." She looked over at Ron, who was simply staring at her. She gave a dry laugh. "I forgot. You have the emotional range of a teaspoon."

Ron half smiled. "Sorry."

"I feel like after everything I deserve to get the guy I want," Hermione sighed.

"You do," Ron said. "But maybe you don't want me. Maybe deep down you know I'm not the one for you and you know that there's someone better out there."

Hermione looked over at him. "When did you become so insightful?"

Ron shrugged. "I don't know. I just said what I thought. You do deserve someone who is going to be a better boyfriend to you and a better person. I mean it."

Hermione swallowed and looked down at her hands. "I know you do."

"We can still be friends, can't we?" Ron asked.

Hermione blew a puff of air out of her mouth. "Yes. It'll be hard for me at first, just to warn you. But I do want to stay friends. I've known you since we were eleven and we have been through a lot together. I don't want to give all that up no matter what."

Ron smiled. "I feel the same way."

Hermione managed a tiny smile. "Well, I think I'll go to bed. We'll have to be up early tomorrow considering it is Christmas day and all."

"Right," Ron said. "Well, goodnight."

"Goodnight." Hermione stood up and headed for the stairs.

"Hermione?"

"Yes?" She turned around.

"I really am sorry and I did mean what I said. You deserve someone better."

"You're not a bad person, Ron," Hermione told him. "You're just a little…tactless at times."

Ron laughed. "I've been told."

"Goodnight, Ron."

* * *

Hermione chewed on the inside of her cheek as she chopped carrots at the Burrow's kitchen counter. She was gazing out the window as she worked and watching as Ron and Luna built a snowman together. They had been together exactly a year. Ron had invited her over for Christmas dinner the year before and asked her out that very day. While Hermione had been happy, she felt angry at the same time. She had just sorted everything out with Ron the night before and then he had gone and asked Luna out no more than twenty four hours later. However, the two of them couldn't have been happier.

Hermione, on the other hand, hadn't found the "better person" Ron had spoken about last Christmas Eve. She had met plenty of guys through work and through friends that would have made great potential boyfriends, but they never fully appealed to her. She had gone on a handful of first dates, but never made it to a second. She was really beginning to think something was terribly wrong with her.

"What did that cutting board ever do to you?" a voice asked from the doorway, bringing Hermione out of her thoughts.

Hermione jumped and looked over her shoulder. "Fred, what are you doing here?"

"I live here. Well, I used to. And therefore, I'm invited back for Christmas dinner, which happens to be today. So here I am." The tall, freckled redhead shrugged and smiled lazily at her.

"Of course. That makes sense. You just scared me is all." She gave the carrots another forceful chop.

"You're practically killing the cutting board," Fred said.

"I know," Hermione said, swinging the knife down again.

"Why don't you just use magic?"

"Because I don't want to," Hermione replied through gritted teeth, changing her chopping tactic to quick, tiny chops.

"Okay, okay," Fred said, holding up his hands. He smirked. "I would come over to steal a carrot, but I'm actually a bit afraid for my life."

Hermione sent him a look before taking a deep breath and continuing to chop the carrots in a more normal fashion.

"That's better," Fred smirked.

"Oh, be quiet," Hermione nearly snapped.

Fred was quiet for a moment and Hermione pretended not to notice as he came over and leaned up against the counter next to her. "Alright, Hermione, spill it. What's got your wand in a knot? Is it _him_?"

"I don't know who this _him_ is that you're speaking of," Hermione replied with a sniff.

"Yes, you do, but I'll spell it out for you. I'm talking about my pathetic excuse for a younger brother."

"He's not pathetic," Hermione argued before she could stop herself.

Fred raised an eyebrow. "No?"

"No, he likes Luna. That's not a crime."

"I know what happened last Christmas," Fred said quietly.

"Alright, then tell me exactly what happened then." Hermione sniffed again.

"You told him how you felt. You got everything out in the open and demanded to know where the two of you stood. That's when he sprung his crush on Luna on you."

"It's not a crime that he likes her," Hermione said again.

"No, it's not, but he could have had more…class," Fred shrugged, staring out the window at Ron and Luna, still building a snowman. "He upset you. You did a very good job of hiding your feelings for the weeks after he asked her out, but I could tell how you really felt."

"It wouldn't take a genius, would it?" Hermione said irritably. "Anyone would be upset."

"Yeah, but everyone else believed you when you said you were fine. I didn't."

"No?"

Fred shook his head.

"Then why didn't you say anything?"

"I know how you are. You're very independent. You wouldn't want sympathy or comfort about something like that."

Hermione paused and looked up at him. "You're right, but.…" She looked out the window again and sighed. "Never mind."

"No, tell me," Fred whispered.

"Maybe it would have been nice if someone had tried to comfort me anyway. It would have made me feel like at least _someone _cared."

"Is that what you think?" Fred asked, narrowing his eyes. "You think nobody cares about you?"

"No, I know people care about me. Your family has been wonderful…ever since I met them, they've…what I really meant was…."

"Spit it out, Hermione," Fred said with a small smirk.

Hermione took a deep breath. "I just meant that it was hard after Ron actually rejected me and got it out in the open. He said I deserved someone who would be good to me. He said I deserved to get the guy I really wanted. But I haven't found him yet. It's been another year and I'm wondering if the right guy is out there at all."

"It's only been a year," Fred said. "Why are you so insistent on rushing things?"

"I'm not. I'm just getting impatient. And maybe…." She sighed. "Maybe, even though I'm over Ron, I get a little upset every time I see him happily spending time with Luna."

Fred looked up at the ceiling. "What if I told you that you might not have to wait anymore?"

"What?" Hermione looked up at him in surprise, but he continued to stare at the ceiling.

Fred turned towards her and chewed on the inside of his cheek. "Hermione, I…." He trailed off and shook his head.

"Fred, what is it?"

Deciding he could show her better than he could tell her, Fred swiftly leaned in and planted a quick kiss on her lips before pulling away.

"Sorry," he muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. "I know the whole Ron thing has messed you up and getting involved with his brother is probably the last thing you want to-,"

He was interrupted by Hermione setting the knife down, throwing her arms around his neck and kissing him.

"I'm willing to give it a try," Hermione whispered when she pulled away. "Being involved with you, I mean. It could work, couldn't it?"

"I don't see why not," Fred shrugged, grinning. He brushed a strand of hair out of her face. "It looks like from now on your troubles will be miles away, huh?"

"Hopefully," Hermione sighed.

Fred smiled and pulled away. "I suggest you get back to those carrots, now, and be careful not to chop off a finger. Take it easy, you know. Be a little less violent."

"I don't think there's a reason for me to be violent anymore," Hermione said with a wry smile.

Fred grinned. "Good." With that, he plucked a carrot off of the cutting board and darted out of the room as Hermione shook her head and smiled.

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**Thanks for reading and don't forget to leave a review to tell me what you thought!**

**Happy Holidays!**


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